All Questions
4
votes
2answers
162 views
Is using brass ball valves safe?
I heard the other day that using brass in your brewery set-up is a bad idea?! well I have brass ball valves from the hardware store on all my kettles? I know that typical brass has lead in it but is ...
2
votes
1answer
85 views
Boil size, ABU's and adding LME
I see version of this question has been asked, so apologies for the repeat but its never quite answered in the way I need.
I made a batch last night and noticed half way through the process that ...
1
vote
1answer
51 views
Using a March pump without a kettle valve
I'm thinking of buying a March pump, but my kettle doesn't have a hole in which I could install a valve.
Now, obviously, I could drill a hole and install a valve. But before I do that, how easy is it ...
3
votes
1answer
112 views
Does trub effect your gravity reading?
took a gravity reading today at the end of the transfer from the kettle and there was quite a bit of trub in the cylinder, like the whole flip'n tube. so would the trub hold the hydrometer up and give ...
0
votes
3answers
128 views
Mash process vs specialty grains
Everybody can buy a certain number of specilaty grains and combine them, but in a way it seems to me this way I will do something that someone else can do just replicating my grain choice. On the ...
0
votes
2answers
123 views
Peanut Butter Chocolate Stout- Cocoa or Nibs?
I'm looking to piece together a Peanut Butter Chocolate Stout recipe and I torn between using powdered cocoa late in the boil or cocoa nibs in secondary. Any suggestions?
Also, with either ...
1
vote
3answers
214 views
Hydrometer reading interference
When brewing an IPA about a week ago, my starting gravity reading came out to be 1.12 - significantly higher than the listed target of 1.07 on the recipe. I had suspicions of error at the time which I ...
7
votes
1answer
114 views
Does using a fining agent effect the flocculation of yeast?
I'm doing a series of smash beers all using the same yeast same temp same grain. I'm noticing a big variation in flocculation on the current batch (forgot the Irish moss oops) WLP001 by the way. Im ...
4
votes
2answers
103 views
How to avoid blowoff on a 1 gallon jug?
I'm experimenting with 1 gallon batches, and every single time I had a blowoff. So for the batch I brewed today I just put a bucket of sanitized water and a blowoff tube to start with since I know ...
0
votes
1answer
65 views
Control Products 9102D Temperature Controller won't go below 50 degrees?
So I got a dual stage controller (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0057APR3I/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) to hook up to a keezer that I am making. I got it wired up today and was ...
1
vote
1answer
79 views
Yeast Starter Stopped after ~20 hours
I am trying to make skeeter pee without the slurry from a previous batch. so I wanted to make a starter to make sure my yeast were happy guys.
I took 3 pints of water to 1 teaspoon of yeast nutrients ...
1
vote
2answers
167 views
Is beer belly a myth or fact?
Will not stop the pints either way, but does beer really causes 'beer belly'?
Please provide links/research.
1
vote
1answer
371 views
Where are MillerCoors Light Home Draft units available?
MillerCoors used to sell Coors Light Home Draft and Miller Light Home Draft "kegs" at my local grocery store, but I have not seem them in a long time.
The reason I ask is because these units are ...
1
vote
1answer
123 views
Make root beer without a refrigerator
All the recipes for root beer end with, bottle up your root beer in a plastic bottles. Put it away and monitor the bottles when they become hard they are ready, 2-3 days. Put them in your fridge to ...
9
votes
7answers
362 views
How to clear beer
I am brewing my first homebrew an American cream ale. Was just reading into secondary fermentation. In the directions and books I've read it seems to suggest doing this. But as I search online and ...
1
vote
4answers
388 views
Why is there so much foam when I open the bottle?
I have a batch of beer, fermented and then bottled. When I open the bottle, there is a lot of foam and it flows out of the bottle for a while.
What could cause this? I assume it's too much CO2 and ...
6
votes
6answers
342 views
Marking your brew pot?
I have a new stainless steel brew pot and it doesn't have any quantity markings. How do you recommend marking each gallon? I tried to make an indent but it's not very noticeable, any ideas?
0
votes
1answer
65 views
Boil Time for Partial Mash with a Hopped Extract
I'm doing a partial mash, but using a pre-hopped-extract. I'm adding flavour and aroma hop additions in the 15 to 1 minute range, but no bittering hops.
How long does my boil time need to be? ...
1
vote
1answer
45 views
Is tin safe on the mash?
A friend is building a manifold and the copper connections he bought have a bit of tin (Sn) on it, supposedly to make the solder easier.
He is not going to solder them so the tin will remain in ...
2
votes
1answer
121 views
How early can I know if a brew is ruined?
Today I tried my very first brew using a Coopers DIY kit. I was told the Lager mix that comes with the kit probably won't taste amazing, but it should be hardy and forgiving for beginners that don't ...
3
votes
2answers
118 views
Too late to move a brew?
I brewed an IPA yesterday. All went well and it is bubbling away today. However, my friend's brewing fridge/fermenting chamber just freed up and he suggested putting my brew in there. It would ...
3
votes
3answers
129 views
Preparing water for brew day
I'd just like to get some opinions on the most efficient way to prepare the water for my brew day. I'm pretty new to brewing and still using extract with a few specialty grains.
I've read it's good ...
1
vote
1answer
75 views
Additives for 5 gallon batch
These are the ingredients for the extracts I will use in a 5 gallon batch, should I still use the priming suger. Orange- oil of orange, alcohol, water. Watermelon-propylene glycol, alcohol, water, ...
0
votes
2answers
81 views
Addition of extract at bottling time
If I use 4oz of watermelon extract at bottling time,do I have to cut back on the amount priming sugar to prevent bottle bombs.
3
votes
3answers
141 views
Adding honey to a cooled wort
Can I add a 12oz or 24oz of honey to a cooled 5 gallon wort without boiling it or does it have to be boiled. Does 12oz or 24 oz sound like the right addition to the wort, I was going to add 4oz of ...
2
votes
2answers
100 views
Why is the beer head and head retention important?
Does the head improve something on the beer flavour/aroma?
Back home in Brasil, the folk has it that head is useful to keep the beer cold, but in colder lands (and warmer beers) as they have in ...
-1
votes
2answers
117 views
when making whiskey what is left of the barley? [duplicate]
I have been reading about the whiskey making process, but I do not make it. From what I understand, in very basic terms, a barley soup is made, and the water is drained off. This water contains ...
1
vote
1answer
73 views
Bottling a Lager
I brewed my first lager (a doppelbock) about a month ago and I'm thinking about bottling it in about a week. I followed some advice from my LHBS on the proper schedule for a lager that I now question ...
0
votes
1answer
37 views
Extract addition
Would 4oz of watermelon extract be the right amount to add to the secondary or bottling bucket for a 5 gallon batch?
I am in a wort transformation contest with a 5 gallon wheat.
2
votes
1answer
99 views
Why can't I control my regulator's output pressure?
I'm completely new to this, so I don't know if I'm doing something dumb or my regulator is broken. Here's what I'm doing:
Here's what I'm doing:
I connected this regulator to a 5 lb. CO2 cylinder.
...
6
votes
2answers
136 views
What are the harms of a boil over?
Besides forcing me to clean a lot more stuff than I would generally do, will a boil over harm my beer?
I suppose I will loose a lot of the break material and according to brewstrong the break ...
1
vote
3answers
156 views
Is whisky distilled from beer? [closed]
Legal issues aside, how is whisky made?
Do you make a beer (presumably without hops), ferment it with regular beer yeast and then distill?
2
votes
2answers
63 views
Addition of Watermelon extract to secondary
I would like to add a 4oz bottle of watermelon extract to my secondary, do I have to boil it or can I just add the extract?
2
votes
2answers
98 views
Kettle lid with hole in it
I always boil with the lid off my kettles (2 pots).
But I've been thinking lately about the design of commercial kettles. It seems that to more closely match a commercial boil, I should put about a ...
0
votes
5answers
212 views
Can I bottle when still bubbling a little?
I made a beer from extract (amber dryed malt extract). Recipe says OG is 1.040 FG is 1.010. Used Safebrew S-04 (english ale yeast). The wort has been sitting in primary fermenter for 10 days now. ...
3
votes
2answers
267 views
How to Cold Crash an Imperial Stout?
During my first all-grain (an Imperial Stout recipe a friend and I invented), I managed to forget adding Irish Moss towards the end of the boil. After 3 weeks in primary, I've verified that ...
4
votes
3answers
664 views
How to calculate the minimum vessel sizes for all grain brewing
Background:
Brewing in an kitchenette with limited storage space
All Grain brewing, extracts are not available around here
I'm looking at BIAB also, but want to have the traditional 3 vessels setup
...
1
vote
1answer
62 views
What is the pressure limit for PVC tubing on barb?
I'm building a spunding valve and can't locate an adapter from female flare to male pipe thread. Until I can, I'm planning on using reinforced PVC tubing to connect the valve/gauge assembly to the gas ...
3
votes
3answers
215 views
What size mash tun for a half batch (2-3 gallon) brew?
I have a 10 gallon mash tun (chest cooler) and I've been brewing with pre-made kits. I want to start making my own recipes but I want to do half-batches (2.5 gallons) until I get the hang of things so ...
5
votes
5answers
218 views
Fermentation vessels options for 1/2 batch experiments (~2.5 gallons)?
What are some good options for primary and secondary fermentation vessels for half batch (2.5 gallons) recipes?
At the moment half batches seem to be the best compromise between ease of brewing, ...
2
votes
1answer
146 views
Has anyone a recipe of Yuengling beer?
As a visitor of the US, I have learned to appreciate Yuengling beer. Did someone try to brew a clone of this beer and can publish a recipe?
1
vote
2answers
190 views
no air lock activity after 3 days
First time brewer,I brewed a ipa extract kit.There is no airlock activity after 3 days.I had an og reading of 1.060, I took another reading today of 1.020.I want to ravk into a secondary should i do ...
2
votes
2answers
196 views
Is it easy to brew a high gravity beer with the braumeister?
I'm only reading from other brewers who are brewing with the Speidel Braumeisterthat they it is very difficult, maybe even impossible, to brew beers with high alcohol levels. Is that true?
2
votes
2answers
212 views
Why (if) should I do secondary fermentation? [duplicate]
I like to kees things simple, and I do not like to clean stuff, so adding secondary fermentation is something that bores me... Should I do it instead? What are the advantages and resons of doing it?
5
votes
2answers
150 views
How to calculate ratio of crystal malts to get 75L
I have a recipe in front of me that calls for 1 pound, 2.5 ounces crushed 75L crystal malt. My store only sells in increments of 20L (so in this case, I have 60L and 80L). How would I calculate how ...
5
votes
3answers
196 views
How do I start experimenting?
Ok, I've become comfortable brewing all grains but I want to start experimenting. Where do I start? Should I start experimenting at the primary fermentation stage and brew a bunch of small different ...
1
vote
1answer
91 views
Contaminated beer
If you think your beer is contaminated after putting it into your kegs, should you chill it to stop bacteria from growing or leave it in the fermenting fridge at the same temp as before 18'C to allow ...
3
votes
2answers
306 views
How can I ferment in a corny keg under constant pressure?
I'm thinking about switching from fermenting (primary and secondary) in glass carboys to using Cornelius kegs. Specifically, I'd ferment a 5.5 gallon batch in a 10 gallon carboy.
My goal is to ...
3
votes
3answers
286 views
Relation of CO2/alcohol/yeasts in Ginger Beer
The article making_ginger_beer mentions using bread yeast so you get more carbonation and less alcohol. Isn't carbonation a by-product of the process that makes alcohol? Wouldn't that mean more ...
3
votes
2answers
202 views
Is my beer contaminated?
I just finished fermenting a brew and I forgot to remove the blow off tube which is a tube sitting in a 500 ml bottle of water. So when I started sucking beer out of my fermenter, I sucked all the ...
